Still Got It
by durancedurance
Summary: A troubled household can't get their children to behave, and it doesn't help that they're too busy with their own lives. Can anyone help them in this fast-paced century? Perhaps it takes someone a little more old-fashioned, and maybe a bit magical!
1. Prologue: I'll Handle This

**A/N: I've had this idea for some time and I wanted to post it before I forgot about it. Several stories breach the topic of Mary's age, and possible immortality. I think of Mary as immortal in the sense that the character has been delighting all ages since Miss Travers introduced her in the 30's. However, I wanted to tackle Mary's potential immortality in the literal sense, and concocted up this preview of the story I've had in mind. This story is dedicated to my trusted and true reviewers and fans- addlogcon, ForeverJulie, Mary Circe Poppins, redneckqueen-93, Ensign Nellie Forbush, Disney Magic Hart, and of course, my darling Jaela-Chan. Thanks for all the love and support- this is for you. Now, please review and let me know if I should continue, or give me a critique if you sort of like but have some problems with it before I go on. I hope you enjoy this little snippet and please review!**

Prologue: I'll Handle This

"KATHERINE! DAVID! GET DOWN HERE RIGHT THIS INSTANT!"

"JOHN, DEAR, STOP YELLING!"

"DON'T PUSH ME DAVID!"

"OW! YOU BIT ME KATHERINE!"

All of these outbursts could be heard coming from a modest white townhouse with green shutters and a small garden in Kensington, and the neighbors had become quite used to the racket. John Haffer had had quite enough of it though, and the broken dishes in the kitchen had been the final straw for the short-tempered businessman that day. Katherine, at the tender age of fifteen, came in to the kitchen with an impressive slouch, a nail file in one hand and a bored expression on her face to complete the attitude of her look. David, at thirteen, bounded into the room with his recently discovered long legs, due to his latest growth spurt. He shared the same bored expression as his sister.

"WHO DID THIS?!" Mr. Haffer yelled, turning red in the face.

"Who is doing all the yelling?" Mrs. Haffer, Janine, said entering the kitchen.

"I want to know who broke these plates," Mr. Haffer continued. David and Katherine shrugged and rolled their eyes.

"Which one of you was it this time?"

"We were only emptying the dishwasher like you said dad. Geez," Katherine said.

"Yeah, we just decided to play catch to pass the time," David laughed.

"This is not a laughing matter!" Mr. Haffer yelled. "Clean this up-"

"Aww dad," Katherine and David groaned.

"Somebody better clean this up or it's no television, no computer, and no phones," Mr. Haffer said sternly.

"Dad! You can't take away my phone!" Katherine yelled.

"But Dad, the game is going to be on tonight," David whined.

"Then get to it," Mr. Haffer said, pointing to the broken plates on the floor. He looked at his wife and nodded for her to follow him into the other room.

"What are we going to do about them John?" Janine asked her husband, sincerely concerned. "They never listen to me and they only pretend to listen to you. It's getting out of hand."

"I know Janine, I know."

"It only gets worse when I'm at the realty office all day and you're at your office. Goodness knows how many times I come home and find a disaster waiting for me."

"I know Janine, I've grounded them so much, which they don't even abide by anymore, that it's almost a joke."

"We need to do something. I can't imagine sending them off to boarding school though. We just can't trust them to be home alone all summer. They've only been out for the holidays for a week and they've broken how many things? Not to mention fought with each other ever waking moment," Janine said with concern.

"I'll handle this," John said with a stern look on his face. "I have an idea."

"What John?"

"I'm going to hire a nanny."

"A nanny John? Aren't they too old for that now? Katherine's nearly sixteen..."

"I said I'd handle this Janine, and so be it I'm going to hire a nanny," John fumed, and at his statement, the house whistled and rocked as a large gust of wind rattled the shutters. Janine looked at the ceiling in wonder, and John furrowed his brow at the strange change in weather. The doorbell rang, and John and Janine turned to look at the door, then at each other in puzzlement. No one ever came by this time of day...


	2. Chapter 1: I'm Googling Her

**A/N: So I decided I really liked this idea and cranked out a first chapter at work today. So here you go and read the bottom notes I have- they are very important. Enjoy and review!**

Chapter 1: I'm Googling Her

"Who could it be?" John asked aloud, to no in particular. His wife decided to answer his rhetorical question anyways.

"No one I know of I'm sure," Janine said as she followed her husband to the door. John opened the ornate and rather heavy oaken door to reveal a neatly dressed young woman on his front doorstep. He stepped back to survey this odd interruption.

She was in her latter twenties John guessed, with brilliant blue eyes and dark raven hair that was pulled back neatly into a tight bun. Her bangs were sideswept in the latest fashion, and she wore a hint of pink rouge on her cheeks with a pale red lipstick on her lips. Unwillingly, John thought of her as rather pretty. This was all he could take in before she spoke and interrupted his thoughts.

"May I come in?" she asked politely.

"Who are you?" John asked rather brusquely.

"My name is Mary Poppins, I heard you might be in need of a nanny."

"But how do you-"

"You _are_ Mr. and Mrs. Haffer, are you not?" she asked, stepping into the room. This time, Janine eyed the young woman, taking in her appearance now that she'd come into the house. She wore a simple black skirt that was very high-waisted, but went down to her knees. Her blouse was a stunning, crisp, blue collared shirt which was tucked neatly into her skirt, around which she wore a black patent leather belt with a large buckle in the middle. She donned a pair of matching black patent leather pumps with the toes coming to a distinct point. She appeared to be an exceptionally fashionable woman, except for an odd bag and a quirky black umbrella with a parrot's head for a handle. Other than these two items, Janine was nearly jealous of the woman's style and figure.

"I said you _are_ Mr. and Mrs. Haffer are you not?" the woman asked again.

"Yes, yes," John said, blinking in surprise. He, too, had noticed the odd bag and umbrella.

"And you wish to hire a nanny, do you not?"

"Well yes, we do," John said.

"Very well then, I shall require every second Tuesday off-"

"Do you have a resume?" John interrupted her. "Can you fax one to my office? Here I'll get you my card."

"Oh I don't have a resume, an old-fashioned idea to my mind," Mary smiled.

"Really?" Janine said, one eyebrow rising in suspicion.

"I'll see to the children now," Mary said with a smile, heading into the kitchen, where quite a commotion had been erupting from Katherine and David. John and Janine looked at each other in wonder.

"She seemed rather rude," John said with a scowl.

"I thought she was very polite. She seems to be a very well put together young lady," Janine replied. "Shall we hire her?"

"I think we just did," John grumbled.

"We should give her a chance. Try her out. Besides, she didn't mention anything about wages- we could take her on for cheaper than you did for that maid years back. I bet we can hire her for cheaper than you would have done if you'd gone looking for a nanny yourself," Janine berated her husband.

"Alright we'll see- but it's going to take more than fashion sense for this woman to handle Katherine and David. I'll give her one week- we'll know by then."

"Sounds fair to me John."

"But I'm looking her up on Google the minute I get to the office tomorrow! Don't have a resume..." John muttered to himself as he went upstairs to his study. Janine laughed quietly to herself as she went into the living room to read the mail. She was already beginning to like this woman.

Mary found Katherine and David picking up the last dish they had dropped on the kitchen floor. She merely let out a "tsk, tsk" at the sight.

"Who are you?" David asked, hearing her and turning around to find the woman behind him.

"Your new nanny."

"A nanny? I don't need a nanny," Katherine said stubbornly.

"Is that so?" Mary asked, unfazed.

"Yeah, it is. I'm almost sixteen- I know how to drive, I get top marks in school, I have hundreds of mates, and I have a boyfriend," Katherine said, crossing her arms in defiance and proudly raising her chin.

"Really? A boyfriend?" Mary asked with a grin.

"Haha! She's going to tell Dad," David laughed.

"You promised you wouldn't say anything David! You won't tell my father will you?" Katherine looked pleadingly at Mary Poppins.

"We'll see," Mary said.

"I don't need a nanny either," David said.

"Oh? You too? And what are your qualifications?" Mary asked, somewhat amused.

"I...uhh...I'm...almost 5'7" now?" David said, unsure of himself now.

"Congratulations," Mary replied with a smirk. "Now, shall you show me your rooms? Spit spot."

"I guess," Katherine and David said in unison, accepting their fate. No one said they'd be nice about it though, and they didn't plan on taking orders for very long- not from someone who said things like "spit spot." Katherine led Mary into a purple room, littered with teen magazines and nail polish, with posters of various bands on the wall. A small white desk sat in the corner with an old computer on it, the desktop of some group of boys.

"This is my room," Katherine said proudly.

"Well it's certainly not _my_ room," David laughed. At this remark, Katherine punched her brother in the gut, and David retaliated by pulling her hair.

"Control yourselves!" Mary exclaimed, pulling the two apart. "What about you David?"

David led them down the hall to his room, which was remarkably tidy. The walls had all sorts of sports teams and sports memorabilia on them, and a basketball goal hung from the back of the door. A television was in the corner with several video games littering the floor around it.

"Very nice," Mary commented. David smiled.

"Pssht. Whatever," Katherine mumbled.

"We'll show you your room," David said. "It's the guest room, but we had a governess a few years ago who stayed in here. I hope you like it."

Mary entered the guest room, noticing the soft bed with a side table and alarm clock. There was window facing the street, and a desk in the corner. There was an old antique bookshelf, with several old texts on it, and Mary ran her finger across it, checking for dust.

As Mary sized up her living quarters, Katherine and David took a good look at their new nanny. She was tall and slender, making Michael somewhat jealous of her height. Katherine secretly adored her shoes, noticing the funny posture the woman had standing before her with both heels together and toes pointing outward. She wore a fashionable ensemble, with her hair pulled tightly back, some stray wisps of curls playing about her ears. Katherine noticed her bag on the floor and almost burst out laughing.

"What is _that_?" Katherine asked, pointing at the bag.

"My carpetbag," Mary replied without turning around.

"A carpetbag?" David asked, amazed she hadn't even turned out to look at what Katherine was questioning.

"Mmm hmm."

"You have a bag made out of a rug? Where'd you get a thing like that?" Katherine said, no longer hiding her laughter.

"I've had it for quite some time," Mary replied.

"It's hideous," Katherine said to David in a whisper.

"Never judge things by their appearance- even carpetbags. I'm sure I never do," Mary said, placing her umbrella on the bed and putting her carpetbag on the desk. Katherine turned red in shame at having her hear her statement, and David merely rolled his eyes. Mary glanced around the room again, and sighed.

"No mirror? We'll have to do something about that," Mary said. Katherine and David inched closer as Mary opened her carpetbag and pulled out a large mirror with an ornate golden frame. Thought there was no hook or device for it on the wall, Mary placed it across from the desk with ease. It hung effortlessly, and Katherine and David's jaw dropped from both feats. They looked at the bag, then the mirror, then at Mary.

"Nice trick," David said, realizing he'd been had.

"What trick?" Mary asked. "A little more light perhaps?" And she pulled out a completely lit lamp- shade and all. Katherine and David were stunned.

"Ok, what's the big idea? Are we on a hidden camera show?" Katherine asked.

"What are you going on about?" Mary asked as she pulled out another pair of pumps, pink this time, as well as another belt, a hand mirror, a black trench coat, and an apron. "Oh bother, not again," she said, groping farther into her bag, and finally poking her head in for the lost item. Katherine looked at David in wonder, and he simply shook his head, befuddled. "Ah ha ha ha ha," she practically sang.

"What is it?" David asked as she took a small item from her bag.

"A tape measure," Mary replied.

"A tape measure? What for?"

"I want to see how you two measure up."

"You have got to be kidding me," Katherine sighed.

"Did I suggest I was joking?" Mary asked.

"I told you, I'm almost 5'7" now," David whined.

"Come here David," Mary said, pulling out her tape measure to his full height. "Hmm, loud and obnoxious, prone to breaking things."

"What? It doesn't say that."

"See for yourself," Mary replied, handing out the tape measure for him. On the measure it said in fine black print- Loud and Obnoxious, Prone to Breaking Things. David rubbed his eyes in disbelief. "Your turn Katherine."

"Oh please," she said rudely, though she stood up straight for Mary to measure her.

"Just as I thought," Mary said. "Untidy and insecure, tends to bite."

"I don't bite," Katherine said, and David gave her a fierce look as he stuck out his arm.

"Yeah right," he said, revealing several marks, undoubtedly made by his sister.

"Well I'm not insecure, and no one said I was tidy."

"We'll see to that," Mary said.

"Yeah? And what about you? What does that tape measure say about you then?" Katherine sneered.

"Very well, hold this for me," Mary said, giving Katherine one end of the tape measure to hold at her feet. She pulled it up to her full height, holding her spot with her thumb. She examined the tape measure and smiled. "As I expected. Mary Poppins- practically perfect in every way."

"Mary Poppins huh?" David asked.

"That's right."

"Rather old-fashioned name you have there," Katherine said, still upset over her measurement.

"Something wrong with it?" Mary asked.

"Just seems a little outdated," Katherine said, still hoping to upset her new nanny.

"I am _not_ outdated, and neither is my name."

"I don't mind it," David said sincerely.

"Thank you David."

"You're not helping," Katherine hissed at her brother.

"What? She's not that bad," he whispered.

"Let's get out of here," she whispered back. "Look," Katherine said, addressing Mary out loud. "We're going to go watch some T.V. and let you unpack and settle."

"Thank you Katherine," Mary said with a smile. Katherine wasn't buying into her charm though, and rolled her eyes as she grabbed her brother by the arm and dragged him downstairs. Mary sighed once they had left, and noticed an enticing arm chair next to the old bookshelf. She decided to sit down for a moment. It was always exhausting and tedious to plant herself in a new household and become part of another family, but then, she'd been doing it for so long. Mary got up to look at the books on the shelf, noting that she was older than most of them. This didn't seem to bother her though, and she began unpacking the rest of her worldly belongings from her favorite carpetbag.

**Alright guys, I need your help/opinion on a certain matter. Would Bert be immortal too? And would they still be an item of sorts? Let me know. Also, to clarify, in this story I strictly envision Julie Andrews' portrayal of Mary- straight from the movie as you may have noticed. Also, it's a new time period, so Mary's update her look a little! Since I totally sucked at describing here, I put a quick visual together for you who may be interested in seeing how I envision her outfit in this chapter. If you want to see the photo PM me or say so and I will give you the link to the photo. Hope that helps and please review or e-mail me with critiques and your opinion on the story and on Bert's potential role. Thanks guys!**

Love,** Elizabeth**


	3. Chapter 2: Anything's Possible

**A/N: I warned you my updates would be slow, but here's a nice fat chapter for you all. I hope you enjoy it, and I hope I'm keeping you on your toes with this. I sincerely appreciate all of your input, from those of you who reviewed and PMed me. Thank you so much! I finally have an idea of where this is going, thanks to some of you. I'm creating a mix of a few ideas from reviewers and my own thoughts to create what's to come. Enjoy what you've got though!**

Chapter 2: Anything's Possible

_No matches found._

"Impossible," John Haffer grumbled at his desk. He typed in the name again, hitting each key harder than necessary until it read 'Mary Poppins' in the search box. He hit enter once again.

_No matches found._

"How dare she," John growled, as if it was her fault that he had found nothing. He had been typing her name in all morning, in various search engines, and all of them giving him the same outcome- no matches found. It was as if the woman didn't exist, as if she was a phantom. John knew this wasn't possible though, he'd seen her himself when he got up for work that morning. She was in the kitchen with a cup of tea, reading the morning paper. Her hair was still in a tight bun, a hint of rouge and lipstick had been applied to her face once again.

"Good morning Mr. Haffer," she greeted him cheerfully as he entered with his briefcase in one hand and his tie in the other.

"Mmm," he grumbled, grabbing a cup of tea for himself. She had been sporting a similar outfit, with a high-waisted black skirt with ruffles at the bottom this time. A crisp purple blouse was tucked neatly into her skirt, with the same belt around her torso. The blouse, John noticed, had ruffles down the middle. _What young women are wearing these days_, he sighed to himself as he put his tie on. Then again, he'd noticed his wife eyeing similar outfits in the department store the other day. Apparently a hint of Victorian-era fashion was back in style. John also didn't like the fact that this woman was so smiley all the time, and the fact that she was up before him or his wife was a miracle. The last governess he had hired several years ago practically had to be dragged out of bed to tend to the children. John eyed Mary suspiciously as he grabbed his briefcase for work.

"Have a fine day at work," Mary said, setting down the paper and getting up to put away her tea.

"Yes, and what do you have planned for today?"

"Oh I asked your wife to make a list of errands she needed taken care of today. Once I get the children up I expect them to help to take care of them," Mary smiled.

"Is that so? My kids are going to _willingly_ run errands?"

"You never know what people are willing to do until you ask them."

"Uh huh. Well good luck with that," John said with a sneer as he went into the garage to leave. John shook his head vigorously, bringing himself back to his current position behind his desk, shaking off the thoughts of this morning. He looked at his screen again, seeing the 'no matches found.' He'd figure out who she was eventually. Even if it took him all day. Google had never failed John Haffer before, and he wasn't going to let it start failing him now.

Meanwhile, back at the Haffer's home, Mary had decided it was time to get Katherine and David up. Mrs. Haffer had already gone to the realty office, and it was nearing nine o'clock.

"Alright, time to get up," she smiled as she yanked David's blinds open.

"Huh? What's happened?" David mumbled.

"A new day is happening David, and you're not going to sleep through half of it," Mary said as she went to Katherine's room and flipped on the light. Her covers had hidden Katherine completely out of sight, and when the light didn't faze her, Mary yanked all the covers off the bed.

"What's the big idea?" Katherine whined.

"The idea is that you get dressed and ready to go."

"I'm not going anywhere," Katherine mumbled as she pulled up the covers and attempted to go back to sleep. Mary quickly snapped her fingers and the covers were once more removed from the bed. Katherine opened her eyes immediately to stare at Mary who was standing in the doorway. How did she...? Mary smile and raised one eyebrow, as if to say, 'Aren't you going to question me?' Katherine thought better of it, and with a groan, got out of bed to get ready.

Mary was sitting at the table, applying foundation to her nose when David and Katherine trudged downstairs.

"Now what?" Katherine moaned. She looked at the clock hanging on the wall and realized it wasn't even ten yet. Katherine was _never_ up before eleven if she could help it.

"Now, we go run some errands for your mother," Mary stated as she put away her compact into her black handbag.

"_What?_" Katherine said in her best 'Why are you subjecting a teen like myself to this?' attitude.

"Do you have a hearing problem?"

"No I don't have a hearing problem. Geez. I'm not going on errands, I'm going back to bed."

"No you are not, you're coming with me and we're going to get to know each other a little better."

"Uggh, I'm not talking to you."

"But you're coming along," Mary stated firmly.

"Fine, but I'm still not 'getting to know you.' Geez, it's not the King and I for cripes sake," Katherine mumbled.

"Where are we going?" David asked.

"Oh, here and there. Just getting some items from the market for your mother."

"Alright then," David said as he followed Mary out the front door. Katherine followed behind unwillingly, and as Mary started down the walk, she stopped.

"Hey wait," she said, and Mary and David turned around. "Aren't we taking the car?"

"Of course not," Mary said.

"You expect me to walk?"

"Oh yes."

"Can't you drive?"

"I can drive, but that doesn't mean I'm going to."

"Why not?" Katherine asked, crossing her arms in irritation. She simply couldn't believe this woman.

"First of all, the market is just up the street a few blocks. Second, I find cars to be noisy and inefficient. And third, it's simply not necessary," Mary said with a shrug. She turned around and began walking again, with David right beside her. Katherine simply groaned and followed the pair to the market. Once there, Mary's trained eyes began scanning for items that were of interest to Mrs. Haffer. As she did so, she tried to learn more about her new charges.

"So David what's your favorite food?" Mary smiled as she eyed some ripe tomatoes, which happened to be the first item on her list.

"Well, I really like German chocolate. I always get a bunch of it for my birthday," David smiled.

"Mmm that sounds like an excellent birthday present," Mary smiled.

"What about you?" David asked Mary.

"Oh I'm rather fond of raspberry jam cakes."

"That sounds excellent!" David exclaimed. Katherine merely rolled her eyes, and pulled out her cell phone.

"There's really no need for that now is there Katherine?" Mary said, without turning around. Katherine gave Mary a glare, hoping it bore into her back and somehow would cause her stop pestering her.

"For what Mary Poppins?" Katherine asked, noting that Mary hadn't even glanced at her.

"Put your cell phone away," Mary said, still not bothering to turn around. Katherine looked around, as if someone was aiding Mary in her trickery. How could she know that's what she was doing behind her back...?

"She's probably texting her new boyfriend," David giggled.

"Really?" Mary asked, her eyebrows raising in question as she turned around to actually look at Katherine. To her amusement, Katherine had gone a delicate shade of red.

"He's not my boyfriend," Katherine mumbled.

"You wish he was," David laughed.

"It's not funny!" Katherine yelled.

"Temper, temper," Mary warned. "Now David, don't be impolite to your sister. What's his name?" Mary asked before returning to look at the fresh produce.

"Nicholas. He just goes by Nick though. He plays soccer, and he's really smart," said Katherine, turning red again for fear she had said too much.

"I'm sure he's a nice boy, and I'm sure he thinks highly of you," Mary said affectionately to Katherine, before returning to her list to see what remained to be purchased for Mrs. Haffer. Katherine didn't let her new nanny see, but once her back was turned she sighed and smiled. Maybe she wasn't so bad after all.

--

After returning from the market with all of her items. Mary gave the children some space. After all, these were older charges, and entertainment was much easier for young persons nowadays. Katherine retired to her room to chat on her computer, and David had recently acquired a new video game to beat. So, diligent as usual, Mary quietly put away the purchased items and began tidying up the house and other odds and ends. Mary was working on her cross-stitching when Mrs. Haffer came home from the realty office. She usually arrived home shortly after five, but Mr. Haffer often did not come until dinner. Therefore, Mrs. Haffer always made dinner upon arriving home, and Mary gladly joined her.

"How was the first day?" Mrs. Haffer asked with a smile.

"Oh just fine. They're charming children," Mary smiled.

"My children? Charming? Spare me," Mrs. Haffer laughed.

"Well, there's a few things to learn, but that doesn't make them terrible children. Just in need of some guidance."

"You're a brave woman."

"Hardly. Just my job."

"Did they get along alright?"

"For the most part. I have a question for you," Mary asked as she began setting the table.

"Shoot," Mrs. Haffer smiled.

"What do you know about Nicholas?"

"Oh you mean Nick. Yeah Katherine's had her eye on him lately. They were best friends in the second grade. He moved and went to a different school, she never heard from him. Broke her little heart. Suddenly he's in her class the first day of year nine. I thought she had a thing for him way back when, now she's head over heels, and just before she goes on to upper school."

"That's sweet."

"Most of it. He was such a sweet kid, and I think her returned the sentiment in the second grade. Sad thing is, she has her eye on him again, but I'm not sure he feels the same these days. After all, it's been a while." Mary said nothing as she finished setting the table. Just as Mrs. Haffer had put the peas on the table, her husband walked in grumbling and complaining to himself. "Hello dear."

"Hmmph," was all she got back.

"Good evening sir," Mary smiled.

"Yeah, yeah," he said as he went upstairs to change. Katherine and David flew past him down the stairs and rushed to the table.

"Settle down you two. You're to be dignified at the dinner table," Mary said.

"Whatever," they said in unison. Mary looked at Mrs. Haffer, who just rolled her eyes and sat down. Mary did the same, and shortly thereafter Mr. Haffer took his seat at the head of the table. After saying Grace, the meal commenced.

"How was your day dear?" Mrs. Haffer asked her husband, already guessing the answer due to his previous behavior.

"Just fine," he grumbled. "So Mary Poppins, where are you from?"

"London," Mary replied, not the least offset by his swift change of topic.

"Really. That's interesting. How old are you?"

"Twenty-six." Katherine and David looked at each other and smiled. They knew where this was going, and were eager to watch it unfold.

"Mm hmm, and how long have you been nannying?"

"Oh quite some time," Mary said with a knowing smile.

"Is that your only line of work?"

"It's what I'm good at sir."

"Have any family?"

"I'm afraid not sir."

"Oh I'm sorry," Mrs. Haffer said gently. Mr. Haffer cleared his throat.

"Oh it's quite alright."

"Yes well, it's funny I'd never heard of you before."

"Funnily enough, I'd only just recently heard of you," Mary replied. Katherine and David stifled giggles, and Mrs. Haffer smiled. She liked this woman's spunk more and more. Mr. Haffer just continued stabbing his peas with his fork, deciding not to continue the conversation. After dinner, Mary cleaned up, much to Mrs. Haffer's protest, but she won out and the family retired into the living room to watch television. Mary smiled at the thought of Mr. Haffer trying to uncover her identity and history. She couldn't blame him for being curious or trying though. She hadn't really lied to him. She _was_ twenty-six, sort of.

--

"Time for bed," Mary said, turning off David's television.

"But I'm to the next level, I've only got four left," David said, getting into bed.

"It'll still be there when you wake up. Besides, you need your rest. Tomorrow we'll do something fun," Mary smiled, tucking him in. Mary snapped her fingers on the way out of his room, causing the lights to turn off. David merely scratched his head in the dark.

"May I come in?" Mary asked softly, opening Katherine's door slightly. She jumped up off her bed and shut her latest teen magazine, throwing it under her covers. Mary had just enough time to glimpse the title of the main article, which said something like 'How to win your summer crush.' Mary shut the door behind her and smiled as she sat on Katherine's bed. She patted the bed beside her, and Katherine sat down.

"What?" Katherine asked with a sneer.

"I know you don't really like me, and I know you think you can't trust me. I know then that if I give you advice you probably won't care, but I think you should hear it. From what I can tell you're a very bright girl. You're pretty and headstrong, and I admire you for that. Just don't be too ready to grow up. Alright?" Katherine rolled her eyes. "I'm sure Nicholas admires you as much as I do. Goodnight Katherine," Mary said as she got up to turn out the light. "Oh, and don't be afraid to talk to me, you know where my room is." Katherine sighed as she pulled her covers over her head. What was with this lady anyhow? Why did she even care? No one else ever bothered to ask her questions and talk to her. Not even her own mother. What made her think she was so special, this Mary Poppins?

Mary sighed as she shut her door behind her. She sat by the window and looked out into the quiet little neighborhood she now called home. Of course, it didn't really feel like home. Nowhere really felt like home anymore. No place had for a long time. Mary laid her head back and closed her eyes, losing herself within her thoughts. After a while she heard her door creak open slightly. She opened her eyes and could barely make out Katherine's eyes peering at her from behind the door.

"Can I come in?" she asked quietly. Mary smiled and motioned for her to come sit on the edge of the bed across form where she was seated at the window. Katherine slipped in and shut the door, and took a seat across from Mary. "I hope I didn't wake you."

"No, no it's fine. I was just thinking."

"About what?"

"Oh, different days. Days gone by. That's all. Did you need something from me?"

"Well I couldn't sleep. And I was thinking too..."

"Mmm hmm," Mary smiled.

"Well, did you mean what you said? About me? And about Nick?"

"Of course I did."

Then everything came rushing out of Katherine. "I'm just so scared that if I tell him what I feel, he won't feel the same. I just don't know what to do, and I don't know who to talk to. It's driving me crazy." Mary looked at Katherine in the dark, and all of a sudden, a surge of old memories came flooding back to her. She nearly let a tear escape her eyes, but she blinked them back and smiled instead.

"You know, I was afraid to be rejected by someone very dear to me once. Once I told him how I felt, I felt so much better, and it turned out that he was secretly afraid to tell me too."

"Really? Are you married?" Katherine asked, realizing that she hadn't paid much attention to David's interrogation of her in the market earlier that day.

"Well, no," Mary laughed.

"What happened to him? The guy you were scared to tell?" Katherine asked eagerly.

"We fell in love, straight away. They were some of the best days of my life."

"Were...?"

"We had a bit of a falling out. There was some misunderstanding, and he left."

"Did you make up?"

"I haven't seen him since," Mary said quietly.

"Wow," Katherine breathed. "I'm sorry."

"It's quite alright. What's done is done. Don't let my story deter you from speaking to Nick though. What I did was very complicated, and it was better that he didn't stay with me. It was my fault to begin with."

"So you really think I should talk to Nick huh?"

"Just do what your heart says," Mary smiled.

"Thanks Mary Poppins," Katherine smiled as she got up to go back to bed. "And you too."

"Hmm?"

"Listen to you heart too. Maybe he's still right for you."

"I don't think that's possible," Mary whispered.

"Anything's possible," Katherine smiled as she left the room and went back to bed, this time with a broad smile on her face.

**Hmmm. What could possibly happen next? I really liked the idea of Mary having a girl talk with Katherine, because I never got one either, and if I were to pick someone to give me one, I don't think it could've gone wrong with her. I know it seems that Mary's being awfully open right now, and while it may feel a little OOC, she's got sooo much more she's hiding right now that I feel like she's not revealing a whole lot. Then again it's because I know how much she's hiding, since I'm the author! Mwahaha! But seriously go write a review now.**

Love, **Elizabeth**


	4. Chapter 3: That Snapping Thing

**A/N: I'm very tired, it's very late, and this is very overdue and more than likely filled with glaring errors. But I'm just too tired and it's simply too late for me to bother editing it, so I'm posting it anyways and I'm just going to apologize in advance. I have completely strayed from trying to strictly portray Mary as she is in the movie, because she is simply taking on a personality of her own, and with out my permission. Sorry. Well, I hope you enjoy it and please review!**

Chapter 3: The Snapping Thing

"Alright, time to get up," Mary Poppins stated and with a snap of her fingers as David's blinds flew open.

"Ok, you're going to have to explain how you..." David mumbled groggily and looked around to see that Mary Poppins was no longer in his room.

"Rise and shine," Mary practically sang as she flipped on the light and snapped her fingers so that Katherine's bed covers flung themselves on the floor.

"Not again..." she moaned, not bothering to open her eyes as she stumbled out of bed. David was already sitting by Mary, finishing up some eggs and toast when Katherine came into the kitchen dressed for the day. She smiled tentatively at Mary, who wore a broad smile herself as she motioned towards a plate of eggs and toast beside her at the table.

"Good morning," Mary said.

"Easy for you to say," Katherine said with a sneer, not wanting to let David see she had begun to approve of Mary Poppins. Besides, Katherine was a grumpy person before eleven.

"Well then, what should we do today? Have any ideas David?" Mary asked.

"Well, I do want to beat my game today, and you have to tell me how you-" David hinted, but was cut short.

"No, no video games until later. You should get out of the house more often. Have you ever been to a museum?"

"A what?"

"Just as I thought," Mary said in a stern voice. "Do you have any place you'd like to go Katherine?"

"Besides away from you?" Katherine said blankly. Mary raised one eyebrow and Katherine softened. "Well, I mean, everyone hangs out in the park across from the drug store. They all get a coke and chill together."

"You just want to chill with Nick," David said.

"Shut up!" Katherine whined.

"Now Katherine. Well it's certainly better than your plan David. I'd much rather get out of the house," Mary stated.

"Oh but you aren't coming along are you?" Katherine asked nervously. She couldn't be seen having a nanny, and nowhere near Nick.

"Why not? Someone has to keep an eye on you. It might boost your confidence to have me around," Mary winked as she began cleaning up the breakfast dishes. Katherine sighed, seeing as she would probably come regardless, and it couldn't hurt to have her around. She did give her a confidence boost after all. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Then again, who knew? She still had to be wary of this woman. And was with the snapping fetish...?

After applying a furious amount of lip gloss and mascara, Katherine was finally ready to join Mary and David to the drugstore. She was quiet all the way there, tuning out Mary and David's conversation to think about how she would talk to Nick. Should she tell him her feelings as Mary had suggested? She barely knew this woman though, and _her_ love life seemed to be in shambles anyways. But what if she was right? Katherine suddenly felt eyes on her as followed Mary and David into the drugstore for drinks. She knew her peers were watching her from across the street, but she tried to ignore it. Mary bought both her and David a coke, and Mary nodded for her to go join her friends. She led David across the park and stayed mostly out of sight of Katherine and her friends.

"Hey Katie!" a friend by the name of Olivia called. She was sitting on one of the park tables, along with two other girls and two guys, one of which being Nick. Katherine was friends with all of them, but it still felt strange to be around Nick again.

"Hey Katherine," Nick said. "Who's the lady?"

"Hey," she blushed. "Oh, uh her? Well she's my brother's nanny."

"You have a nanny?" Olivia asked.

"Well no, not me. She's keeping an eye on my brother for the summer since my parents work. You know how much of a brat he is."

"But still, you have a nanny?" Nick laughed.

"Don't laugh! She's not that bad ok? I actually kind of like her," Katherine said, turning red.

"Hey no, that's cool. Sorry," Nick smiled. Katherine looked across the park at Mary, and could have sworn she winked at her. Katherine smiled. "Hey you guys want to go bowling sometime? We could do teams or something."

"I call Jared!" Olivia shouted.

"Fine I get Katherine though," Nick smiled as he looked at her. Katherine blushed and smiled. Maybe Mary was pretty cool after all.

--

"Mary Poppins, do you mind if I go over by the pond? I think some of the kids from my year are over there. See? That's my friend Joel," David said with a smile.

"That's fine David, I'm just going to take a break here on the park bench," Mary smiled. David took off running for the small pond that was just across the park, shouting and waving at his school mates. Mary smiled and sighed. She looked over at Katherine, seeing her laughing with Nick and her friends. David was being entertained down by the pond with his friends. Content and at peace, Mary sat back in the bench and closed her eyes. She kicked off the black pumps she was wearing, and felt the breeze rustle her blue blouse and linen pleated skirt. It blew through her hair and played at the earrings that dangled from each ear. Mary sighed again, content. Suddenly she had the overwhelming feeling that someone was watching her, and she opened her eyes.

He wore a pair of black pin-striped trousers, with a white collared shirt tucked in neatly and not quite buttoned up all the way. On his feet were a pair of plain black dress shoes. He looked rather casual despite his attire, with his hands in his pockets and a nonchalant stance. His hair had been styled to stand up a bit in the front, and on his face was a brilliant white smile. No matter what he wore, Mary would have recognized him out of thousands. However, it was just her and him in the middle of the park.

"It can't be..." Mary whispered as she stared in awe at the handsomely dressed man before her.

"In the flesh and at your service," he said. Mary hastily put her pumps back on hurried over to stand before him. She eyed him up and down, taking it all in.

"Oh Bert," she breathed, hugging him tightly.

"I missed you too Mary Poppins," Bert said quietly and smiled, taking her hands in his.

"But how? I thought you were-"

"Shh, not here. Now's not the time. When's your next day off?" Bert asked.

"Thursday. Tomorrow night," Mary replied, still breathless. She wasn't sure if she was dreaming. Had she fallen asleep on the park bench?

"I want to take you on a date," Bert said. "Tomorrow night, I'll pick you up."

"A date?" Mary asked, puzzled.

"Yes a date. You know, I take you out to dinner. We talk. Share our likes and dislikes..."

"Oh stop it. I know what a date is," Mary replied.

"Just checking, it's a new century you know," Bert chuckled.

"Yes but how are you-"

"Not now. Tomorrow night," Bert smiled and kissed Mary on the cheek before quickly leaving the park. Mary sat back down and stared at the pavement in amazement after he had gone. Was he real? He felt real. She touched her cheek where he had kissed her. That had felt real. But how was it possible?

"I'm back!" David shouted, plopping down beside the befuddled Mary on the park bench. Mary simply blinked in surprise, then quickly regained her composure.

"I see that, how are your school mates?" Mary asked kindly.

"Good. They had to go home though. So when are you going to tell me how you do your magic tricks?"

"Magic _what_?" Mary asked, as if offended by the statement, her eyes growing wide.

"You know, the blinds and the carpetbag? Dad never mentioned that you were a magician," David said, quite excited by this discovery.

"I am _not_ a magician," Mary replied sternly.

"Oh really?" Katherine asked, appearing beside the park bench that Mary and David had been chatting at. She had a wide grin on her face, and a twinkle in her eyes that made her statement even more unnerving to Mary.

"What? Don't you believe me?" Mary asked.

"I'll believe anything you say at this point," Katherine smiled.

"Oh? And when did this happen?" Mary asked, eyeing Katherine up and down.

"When Nick asked me to go bowling with him and some friends. But mostly when he took me aside and asked if I'd go to the movies with him. Just me and him," Katherine said confidently.

"Ooo, Katherine's got a day-ate," David sang.

"You can laugh all you want David, but I think it's marvelous," Mary said, smiling at Katherine. Then she turned to David and gave him a stern look. "And one day young man, you'll find some lovely lady to be quite attractive and charming."

"Yuck, yeah right. Girls are so boring. All they do is go shopping and fix their hair," David complained. At this statement Mary sniffed unappreciatively and patted her bun, making sure it was still properly in place, as if to tell it not to be offended by young David's statement.

"Well I think I've had quite enough of your silliness and I think it's time we leave for home. Come along you two. Spit spot," Mary said, taking off in the direction of the Haffer home. Katherine and David followed along behind her, trying to keep up. Mary whistled to herself as she led the way.

"She never did explain that snapping trick she's been using," David said to Katherine when he thought Mary wasn't listening.

"I get the feeling that Mary Poppins is the sort of person that never explains anything," Katherine said with a smile. She felt like she was floating she was so happy, and she knew it had to have been Mary's doing. True, the snapping thing was odd, but it could easily be explained by some magic kit or some other device to simply impress David into doing what she said. No, Katherine knew there was something else about her, and she hoped to uncover more than she had the night before. Whatever the cause though, Katherine was more than grateful that due to her advice she had scored a date with her biggest crush yet!

"What is that supposed to mean? She doesn't have to explain anything? You're in on it aren't you? How does she do it?" David asked.

"I don't what you're talking about David. All I'm saying is that you shouldn't question it," Katherine said, thinking about what she would wear on her date. Mary heard Katherine defending her, and she smiled. All teenage girls were the same. Big attitude at first, but deep down they're all the same- hopeless romantics and in need of guidance. Mary was going to get along with Katherine just fine, of that she was sure of. It would be entertaining David that would take more effort.

"Can I play my video games _now_?" David whined as he walked into the house behind Mary.

"May I," Mary said.

"May I play my video games now?"

"May I play my video games now what?" Mary hinted.

"May I play my video games now _please_?" David said, exasperated.

"Yes you may," Mary replied with a smile. She went into the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea, and David bounded up the stairs so fast that she didn't hear Katherine follow her into the kitchen.

"So how do you do the snapping thing?" Katherine asked. Mary's head whipped around from the cupboard she had opened to get out her teacup and stared at Katherine with an incredulous face.

"I beg your pardon?"

"You know what I mean. You got Nick to go out with me didn't you? How'd you do it? I mean, I don't know what David's talking about snapping for, but I had admit there was something strange about you before. I mean, you come out of nowhere and bowl my mum and dad over and David absolutely worships you, even when you restrict him in his video game playing time and...well you acted like a mother to me last night. I've never had that. How do you manage it?" Katherine said sincerely.

"I haven't the faintest idea of what you're talking about," Mary said, setting her water to boil.

"Oh don't play stupid with me. I know more about you than you think I do," Katherine said.

"Is that so?"

"Oh yes. What's his name?"

"I don't understand," Mary said above the whistling teapot.

"Sure you do," Katherine continued as Mary began to pour herself a cup of tea. "The man I saw you with in the park, the two of you seemed rather affectionate to me."

Mary dropped her tea cup and it shattered all over the kitchen floor. Katherine's smile grew wider as Mary looked at her with pleading eyes. "I still don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh come on! Either you tell me what's going on between you and this man in the park or I let David continue to pester you about being a magician, which I don't entirely believe in the first- OH!" Katherine exclaimed as Mary snapped her fingers and the shattered pieces of her teacup rose into her outstretched palm and became whole again, with her spilled tea back in it.

"You were saying?"

"Nooo way," Katherine said, stunned. "He wasn't kidding."

"You should pay more attention to what your brother says you know."

"That looked so real. I don't even know how you pulled that off."

"I didn't _pull_ anything young lady, and I suggest you don't question me further."

"It's him though isn't it? The man in the park, he was the one you told me about before," Katherine said quietly.

"I said no more questions. I'm retiring to my room now, you can watch television or whatever else you wish to do, but do not interrupt me unless it's an emergency. Also, I am _not_ a magician."

"Well how else do you explain it? Magic isn't real," Katherine said, her attitude flaring up again. To her surprise, Mary turned around on the staircase and looked at her with a glint in her eyes. In that moment, with just that one look from the mysterious woman and her twinkling blue eyes, Katherine couldn't help but wonder if it really _was_ real.

--

Mary sighed as she shut her door behind her and took a seat on the bed. It was getting harder and harder to feel qualified in her duties, especially with all of the new technology and whatnot that made Mary's magic seem like a thing of the past. _Because it _is_ a thing of the past_, she thought bitterly. _Magic is cliché and old. _I'm_ old._ _And yet, why isn't _he _old?_

All of these thoughts and more buzzed around Mary's head, and with a heavy sigh and a heavy heart, she finally decided that the best thing to do was uproot herself again and move on. It wasn't like her to just leave a situation, but in her puzzled and weary state, Mary could find no logical alternative. Besides, she had figured she'd just imagined Bert at the park earlier until Katherine confirmed it. She shouldn't see him, and he probably didn't _really _want to see her. Why now? And how? No, Mary had decided, and she began packing all of her items once again into her carpetbag. Mary snapped her fingers, causing several shirts of hers to fold themselves neatly for her to pack away. Unbeknownst to her, Katherine had opened her door a crack to watch. A small tear ran down Mary's cheek as she began to put her clothing into her bag.

"Maybe it is real," Katherine said, stepping into the room. Mary wiped the tear from her startled face. "Look, I know you said not to disturb you, and I'm sorry I came in here like this but...maybe I was wrong about you. Can we talk?"

"I...of course we can," Mary said taking a seat next to Katherine on the bed.

"That's rather handy you know, being able to snap to fold your laundry. If I could do that then mum wouldn't always be on my case," Katherine attempted a laugh. Mary sniffed and smiled.

"Anything can happen when you believe Katherine. I know you'd like to think I had a hand in your luck with Nick, but I didn't. That was all you. I'm not usually very flashy in my talents but you needed the confidence," Mary smiled.

"I...uh thanks. Look, I'm not so good with this mushy stuff but, you need to take a good look at yourself," Katherine said.

"What do you mean? I've looked the same for quite some time young lady," Mary sniffed.

"I mean you're a mess. I know it's not really any of my business, and I know we've only just met but, you've already begun to help me so much, you deserve to know. I know it's him, the man in the park was the one you knew before. Look, whatever happened, it's in the past and you can't look back. Just forget about all that and keep going."

"It's a little bit more complicated than that dear."

"It doesn't have to be. Sure, I'm almost 14, what do I know about love? I know enough to know that you're in it, you're in it deeply and madly," Katherine said. Mary blushed profusely. "And maybe I've just watched too many movies or read too many mushy romantic stories, but you can't let that go. You can't let him go. Don't walk away from him," Katherine said, taking out the clothes that Mary had just been packing away into her carpetbag. "And don't walk away from us. I'm just beginning to like you."

"Thank you," Mary whispered quietly.

"You can go back to being stern nanny now," Katherine laughed.

"Don't you have some of your own laundry to attend to young lady?" Mary said so fiercely it made Katherine's spine tingle and feel shameful of her disobedience.

"That's better," she said with a smile as she left Mary's room. Mary smiled, and despite showing more weakness than she had ever hoped to Katherine, she felt stronger than ever just then. Her mind was made up, she was going to confront Bert. But whatever would she wear?

**Ah yes, so if you're interested in what outfits she and Bert were wearing in the park and my writing failed to spark the imagination, you can find links to view more shoddy graphics that I have put together for my readers to get a better idea visually of what I mean. They will be posted under "links" on my profile page in the near future. Hope you enjoyed it and do review!**

Love, **Elizabeth**


	5. Chapter 4: Enough Wine

**A/N: Remember me? No, I didn't die, I just had a birthday to celebrate (for like two weeks straight) and the whole get ready to pack your life up and move thing got in the way and yeah. Sorry. But this is a super long, super good update to make it up to you all! Next is a nice long update for Lace and Diamonds! Anyhoo, sorry for the delay, I move in less than a week so you may have to chill again. But enjoy for now!**

Chapter 4: Enough Wine

"So you have your afternoon and evening off today. What are you going to do?" Mr. Haffer asked politely, though with an air of snooping for information as he filled his morning coffee cup with freshly brewed coffee, made by Mary of course.

"Oh I'm going to dinner with an...old friend," Mary replied.

"Is that so? How do you know _him_?" Mr. Haffer asked, putting more emphasis on his last word, hoping to evoke something from his newly employed nanny. He was still being plagued by the fact that he could find no trace of her anywhere, except within his household.

"Oh, we go way back," Mary said, impassive. Much to Mr. Haffer's dismay, she displayed no emotion, though he had been correct in his assessment of Mary's dinner date. Hopefully this old friend wasn't also an old flame. Old flames would not be tolerated in his house.

"How old did you say you were?"

"Twenty-six sir."

"Hmmph, and you say you go way back? What does that mean, five years maybe? Yes I'm sure that feels like such a long time to you young people," Mr. Haffer said with an air of authority and superiority. Mary simply raised one of her perfectly sculpted eyebrows into an amused arch and sipped her tea quietly. "Yes you just wait until you're my age. Being forty-five isn't as much fun let me tell you. That's when you can refer to old friends as going way back. Why, my pal Patrick and I have known each other for 32 years. What do you make of that?"

"Quite impressive," Mary said with a smile. _Though I've known for Bert for over one hundred._

"Yes well you're still young. Much to learn. That's alright, so long as you keep my kids in line, that's what counts."

"Yes sir," Mary smiled politely, swallowing a chuckle, and taking Mr. Haffer's mug from him on his way out the door.

--

"It's that time again," Mary said sweetly after entering David's room. She nearly tripped over several binders of baseball cards, a stack of DVD's and video games, and almost fell on a basketball.

"What happened to sleep?" David groaned.

"You just got plenty of it, and now we're going to clean up this pig sty today. Up! Spit spot!"

"Right, spit spot. Whatever you say Mary Poppins," David mumbled rolling out of bed.

"Time to get up Katherine. Goodness and your room is much the same. Well I know of a way to remedy that. Up! Grab some breakfast, it's on the table. Don't dawdle."

"Who's dawdling? I'm not dawdling, I'm sleeping," came the reply from Katherine's bedcovers.

"Shall I be reduced to snapping you out of there?" Mary asked sternly.

"Like you can just snap your fingers and-" Katherine was cut short as she found herself in the middle of her floor,_ again_. "Oh that's cheap. You don't fight fair."

"I didn't say I was fair," Mary smiled.

"Oh yeah? If you're not a magician and I _know_ you're not fair, then what are you?" Katherine asked, getting up from her floor.

"Practically perfect," Mary replied and winked before exiting Katherine's room to head downstairs.

"Well isn't she cheeky," Katherine mumbled as she attempted to get dressed.

--

"Don't you have the day off? Why aren't you just going to ignore us like a real nanny?" Katherine complained as she polished off the last of the toast at the table.

"Excuse me? A _real _nanny? Are you suggesting _I'm_ not a _real_ nanny?" Mary sniffed.

"She just means you're different," David suggested.

"And just what does that mean?" Mary asked David with an icy blue-eyed stare.

"Nothing, it probably just means she secretly likes you," David smiled. Katherine punched him in the arm.

"Katherine, you're nearly fourteen. Time to start acting like the young lady you are."

"Maybe I don't want to be a lady Mary Poppins," Katherine huffed.

"Oh really? And why not?"

"Well, you're a lady aren't you Mary Poppins?" Katherine asked slyly.

"Well I never! Of _course_ I'm a lady."

"Right, and look how far that got you," Katherine said as Mary gave her a questioning and somewhat hurtful look. Katherine ignored her expression and continued. "I mean, here you are looking after two bratty kids. For some reason you lost the love of your life due to some stupid decision on your part, which I can't even believe because you're so...put together and...well...pretty. You're all self-righteous and handing out advice to girls that you can't even follow. Do I want to be a lady like you? No. Not if being a lady means being as miserable as you secretly are. Is that what being a lady is Mary Poppins?"

"Katherine! Why are you so mean," David said quietly.

Mary had a sad look on her face for a sliver of a moment, before diverting her attention to David.

"David dear, let's go upstairs and clean that mess of a room. It's beginning to look like a bear-pit," she said as she hurried out of the kitchen and quickly disappeared up the stairs. David merely shrugged and followed.

"If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. How wise of you miss nanny," Katherine sighed.

--

"You can't possibly expect me to clean all this up before you leave for the rest of your day off. It's eleven and you want me to be done in _two hours_?" David whined.

"I said you'd have it done before I leave and I mean it," Mary replied sternly, though on her face was a knowing and mysterious smile.

"But how?"

"With every job that must be done, there is an element of fun."

"Cleaning? Fun?"

"You _find_ the fun and...snap," Mary exclaimed, snapping her fingers loudly, which in turn caused all of David's video games to fly into a stack on his television stand. David's jaw dropped in awe. "The job's a game."

"NO...WAY," David said.

"Yes way," Mary smiled and winked at the doorway to David's room, where Katherine had just arrived.

"Did she just say 'yes way?' And wink at me?" Katherine asked in a dull and unamused voice, not having witnessed Mary's display of magic. David was still in awe.

"You give it a try," Mary encouraged him.

"Me?"

"Yes, you know how to snap your fingers I presume?"

"Yeah, you just...snap," David said, snapping his fingers. Both his and Katherine's jaws dropped as David's bed made itself before their very eyes.

"NO...WAY," Katherine said as she stepped into the room.

"Haven't I already addressed that?" Mary said, taking Katherine's place in the doorway. Her eyes twinkled and her lips pulled up into a glorious smile. "Yes way," she said as she went to Katherine's room. Katherine tore her eyes away from David's bed and entered her own room to find Mary waiting for her.

"You avoided my question," Katherine said.

"I expect you to clean up your room as well," Mary said, unfazed.

"Still avoiding."

"Avoiding what?"

"I share all my feelings and secrets with you and in return I get nothing? That hardly seems fair."

"I didn't say I was fair. I said I was practically perfect."

"Mmm hmm. So that means you can't spill your guts to me? I'm listening here."

"Practically perfect people never permit sentiment to muddle their thinking. Neither do they..._spill their guts_ as you say."

"Wow. You are soooo in denial right now."

"Weren't you supposed to be cleaning?"

"That man in the park...will you see him again?"

"Spit spot. I want this room tidy as possible," Mary said, heading for the doorway.

"Geez, what a hypocrite you turned out to be," Katherine mumbled to herself. Mary turned around in the doorway to stare at Katherine. Katherine returned her blank face with a sheepish look, knowing that somehow Mary had heard her quiet comment.

"And I'm seeing him tonight," Mary said without a hint of emotion as she left Katherine to her cleaning and went to her own bedroom. Katherine simply smiled to herself and snapped her fingers, causing _her_ bed to make itself, just like her brother's. She just couldn't believe it. Mary Poppins was seeing a handsome man that night, _and_ she was about to clean her room by snapping her fingers. There was just no-

"Yes way," Katherine heard Mary say from her bedroom down the hall in a clear sing-song voice. She laughed out loud and smiled. There was just no way this lady was for real.

--

Mary smiled as she sat down on her bed, then lay down and sighed. She kicked off her heels and closed her eyes. In all her years of nannying, with all the changes she'd seen, she still could surprise and delight children with the snap of her fingers. Every time she taught another child to clean up by snapping their own fingers, their faces lit up and rewarded Mary for her work with an excited smile. There was one face though, one that she hadn't seen for so long and still couldn't believe she'd seen in the park. As excited as Mary was to have seen him, she just couldn't believe it. She wouldn't even think his name, just in case he turned out to be a figment of her over-worked imagination. She sighed and touched her hand to her cheek, right where he had kissed her before parting. How very like him to be so charming and mysterious in his first meeting with her in nearly eighty years. And God! He didn't look a day older.

Mary rushed into the bathroom that connected to her bedroom and looked in the mirror. For some reason she was frightened that _she_ would be the one looking older all of a sudden. She laughed at herself and fixed her hair. How impossible. _I'm silly for even worrying_, she thought. _As if I were to find wrinkles on my face! To think I even _prayed_ for wrinkles at one point._ Her mind wandered like this for some time as she checked her complexion and continued to fidget with her hair. She heard her bedroom door open and close and she stepped out of the bathroom.

"Need some help with those?" Katherine smiled, looking at Mary's abandoned shoes at her bedside. Mary arched one eyebrow, and Katherine snapped her fingers, sending the shoes flying into Mary's closet.

"Who's the cheeky one now?"

"And of course she heard me say that this morning," Katherine mumbled to herself.

"Don't mumble, it's very unbecoming. And did you need something? I take it your room is clean."

"Thanks to you. So what else can you do? Heat vision? X-ray vision? No don't tell me. I'll bet you can fly."

"Are you mocking me? How dare you! Heat vision..."

"Excuse me? I just cleaned my room by snapping my fingers. You _are_ magic. I thought you were just being cute for David. I just want to know what else is going on with my nanny," Katherine said sincerely.

"There's nothing 'going on' as you put it. However, are you really going to recognize me as your nanny now? It seemed to me you were too old for that. Am I right?"

"Well, maybe. Then again, you're the one who can change things with a snap of her fingers. How is it you won't just snap your fingers and get my dad to give you a raise or something?"

"Money is no object with me young lady, I'm only concerned with my charges."

"I think you have other concerns besides us."

"Is that so?"

"Yep. What are you wearing tonight? That's concern number one right there," Katherine chuckled.

"Oh no," Mary breathed.

"You hadn't thought of that one? Better get on it. Spit...spit whatever it is you're saying."

"Spit spot."

"Yeah whatever. Better _snap_ to it if you know what I mean," Katherine laughed at her own pun.

"Listen here, I can't just snap and make dresses appear out of nowhere," Mary stated firmly.

"So you _can_ use X-ray vision."

"If you're going to be a nuisance then head back to your room," Mary said, heading for her closet.

"Alright, I'll behave," Katherine sighed, sitting on Mary's bed and watching her sift through things in her closet. "How long have you known this guy then? Is he the one you told me about before?"

"Yes he is," came Mary's muffled reply from the closet. "And I've known him quite some time."

"So what happened? I mean what really happened?" Katherine. "No wait, I'm sorry. That's none of my business. I can tell you still get upset over it."

"I'm never upset," the stern reply came from the closet.

"You're not very good at lying."

"Oh? And neither are you," Mary said, returning from the closet to lay a beautiful black dress on the bed with a white handbag. "You're always putting on a tough girl teen angst attitude, but when I get you all alone you're very sweet and sincere. Don't you get tired of putting on a face for everyone else?"

"Don't you?"

"It's very complicated," Mary said sadly.

"That's what they all say."

"Alright I'll leave it alone for now."

"Cute dress," Katherine said, changing the subject.

"Mmm, but I haven't any shoes to match. I guess that's my first errand today."

"It's nearly one now, you might as well get to your time off. What time is your date?"

"He's picking me up at, well, I'm not sure when."

"Here?"

"Yes."

"Excellent!" Katherine exclaimed. She'd been dying to get a better look at the man that had a mysterious past with her magical nanny. Mary simply rolled her eyes.

"Maybe I will get out of here and go shopping," Mary smiled. "By the way. When is _your_ date?"

"You mean my bowling date?"

"You mean you have other dates?" Mary chuckled.

"Oh stop it. Tomorrow night," Katherine smiled sweetly, recalling _her_ fantastic day in the park as well.

"Seems you and I will have much to talk about this weekend," Mary hinted with a smile.

"You should go find some great shoes. You've got to really impress this guy after screwing up," Katherine said without thinking. "Oh, sorry. That slipped."

"It's quite alright. And I get the feeling my screw-up may be forgiven tonight," Mary said.

"All the more the reason to have a fabulous pair of kicks," Katherine smiled, leaving Mary to get ready for her shopping excursion and well-deserved time off.

--

After picking up a pair of black and white heels with a cute wingtip design, Mary strolled around the shopping mall in a dream state. She contemplated everything she would say to him, everything he would say to her. Where would they go? What would they do? How should she do her hair? Her makeup? Hours passed like this, with her in a daze, until she finally found herself back the Haffer household to prepare for her evening out. Mr. and Mrs. Haffer were having a quiet dinner with the children when she walked through the door. Katherine, David, and Mrs. Haffer smiled, and Mr. Haffer merely grunted. Mary smiled and nodded before heading up to her room to get dressed.

She put on her dress- an all black number that was sleeveless with a large silk bow at the neck, and a sleek belt around the waist. The hem fell just past her knees, accentuating her long legs, particularly after slipping on her black and white heels. Mary put on her usual makeup- just a hint of rouge, liner, mascara, and of course, a dab of red lipstick. She fussed over her hair until deciding it would just have to do in its usual bun. Mary's heart began to pound as she went to find some perfume out of her carpetbag, noticing the time was nearly eight o'clock. Bert had never said what time, which was part of the thrilling mystery of the night, but Mary couldn't help but be anxious. As if he'd heard her thoughts, a car horn honked outside, and Mary jumped. She hurried over to the window and took a peek. She only saw bright headlights, but knew it had to be him. She grabbed her white handbag and hurried down the stairs, bidding goodnight to the Haffer family.

"Have a good time," Mrs. Haffer said sweetly.

"Good luck Mary Poppins," Katherine said sincerely and with a glowing smile.

"Hmmph," was all that came from Mr. Haffer. Mary smiled and went out the door, only to find the same handsome figure she had seen in the park leaning against a gleaming silver car. Mary could hardly take in the sports car as she looked at the beautiful man standing beside it. She walked over to him and stopped just an arms length away.

"You came," she breathed.

"Of course I came," he laughed. "Why would you think otherwise?"

"I...I don't know. For a while I thought I had imagined you in the park before."

"Then how are you sure this isn't another figment of your imagination?"

"I don't, do I?"

"I guess not. Are you willing to believe in it?"

"Too much I think," Mary smiled. Bert returned the smile. They were both careful and apprehensive, much like two teenagers on their first date, and in truth, it _was _their first date together.

"Shall we go then?" Bert asked, opening the passenger car door for Mary. At this point, Mary saw the interior of the car, and managed to finally take in the entire car, only after tearing her eyes away from Bert's.

"Oh my goodness. Bert, what a flashy car."

"You like it? It's a Mercedes SL600. It does seem a bit much I suppose, but I decided to splurge earlier this year," Bert smiled. "Who knew I had a taste for fast cars?"

"Not me," Mary breathed.

"Hop in Mary," Bert chuckled. Mary climbed in the car and waited for Bert to get in. She felt like a little school girl all over again, and felt as though anyone in a five mile radius could hear her heart beating. Bert started the car and smiled at her, causing it to skip a beat. "Did I mention yet how beautiful you look tonight Mary? You really do look great. Not a day older."

"I...well...thank you Bert. And you! How...?"

"I'll tell you at dinner. How does Italian sound? I know this great little place, hidden away on the other side of town. There's a great chef there, there's dancing and live music- you'll love it. And the wine is fantastic."

"I...well that sounds delightful," Mary smiled. She so badly wanted to ask him thousands of questions, but somehow she knew she had to wait. She waited so long already, what was another twenty minutes or so? She finally realized she hadn't taken in his clothing yet, her previous concern had mostly been memorizing the lines of his face, the color of his eyes, and how perfect his hair looked, lest she never see him again. She noticed he was wearing a casual looking suit, a very dark grey with a sea blue, baby blue, and black striped shirt that matched his eyes perfectly.

"How are your new charges?" Bert asked. Mary didn't bother asking him how he knew where to pick her up, or how he knew she was nannying there, but simply answered him. She knew he'd reveal all the mystery at dinner.

"They're charming. Katherine and David. Yes they're quite a pair," Mary said fondly.

"So you're still nannying then?"

"Of course, it's what I do best," Mary smiled timidly and Bert stole a glance at her. Her blue eyes glistened and despite the time of night, Bert could faintly make out her blushing cheeks. The remainder of the car ride was quiet, and they stole glances at each other, drinking in the other's appearance silently. The radio softly played old tunes like "Night and Day," "Temptation," and "Thanks For the Memory." Finally Bert parked the car and got out to open Mary's door for her. She got out and took his arm, blushing at the contact. They entered the restaurant and the waiter led them outside to a beautiful patio with lattice all around the perimeter, all strung with little white lights. Couples swayed beside a small band in the cool night air, and the two of them were seated in a secluded corner. The table had little tea lights on it, and Mary smiled at the quaint beauty of the place.

"What a charming place," Mary said.

"I've been waiting to bring someone here for some time now. The chef, Paulo, has been bugging me as to when I'd bring a gal around here," Bert chuckled.

"Oh?" Mary said, trying not to sound surprised as she shook out her napkin and placed it delicately on her lap. Bert did the same and poured them both wine that had been brought to them by the waiter.

"Yeah, Paulo's a great guy. True Italian. Keeps telling me I should get married."

"Is that right?" Mary asked, examining Bert's fingers as he poured, noticing they were void of any rings. "Bert, how is it that-"

"Ahh! Paulo!" Bert exclaimed.

"Bert! My favorite funny englishman! How are you my friend?"

"Excellent Paulo. Paulo, this is Mary Poppins, an old friend of mine," Bert said, motioning across the table to Mary, who of course, blushed.

"What a beauuuutiful young woman! An old friend you say? Not girlfriend?"

"Oh we've just known each other a long time," Mary said quickly.

"Ahh well. We get enough wine in you and you two will leave in love for sure," Paulo laughed. "I have something special for you two tonight, I will surprise you," he said, taking the menus from the table before Mary or Bert could even glance at them.

"Sounds excellent Paulo, thank you," Bert smiled. Mary sipped her wine quietly, and Bert rest his head on his chin on the table, just looking at her with a sheepish grin that Mary had always loved. "What are you thinking about right now?"

"I'm thinking about how much longer it is before you'll tell me how, if this truly isn't a figment of my imagination, how you're on a date with me right now," Mary said.

"Well that's easy. I asked you out on a date, and then I picked you up, and then-"

"Now Bert, I'm being serious! I thought...I thought...I..."

"What did you think Mary?" Bert said quietly.

"I thought you were dead," Mary said, setting down her wine and turning to watch the couples dance. She couldn't bear to look at him, especially if she began crying.

"Mary, I'm not a figment of your imagination, it's truly me. Please don't be upset. Look at me," Bert said softly. Mary turned to look at him as a single tear ran down her cheek. "Mary, did you really think that?"

"Bert I...I had no idea what had happened to you after...after you left," Mary whispered.

"And I'm so sorry Mary, I truly am," Bert said, reaching over the table to wipe away her tear.

"What happened? You can't possible...I mean...how is this possible?"

"Mary, I've come to realize that a lot of things are possible," Bert chuckled. "I've been not a day older than thirty-five for over a hundred years now."

"Bert, I'm so sorry. I thought that, well, I was always so busy nannying and I never wanted...I couldn't bear losing you..."

"Mary it's okay. We discussed this so long ago. I understand."

"But Bert, how are you even alive?"

"That's sort of what I wanted to ask you," he laughed. "It's your magic you know."

"I know," Mary laughed. "Well, you know back in, well, 1914 I suppose, I decided to make you immortal. Of course, you figured it out sometime around 1917. I'm surprised I got away with it for that long. You confronted me, and at the time you were perfectly happy with it. Then sometime around 1924 you got restless and-"

"I wasn't restless Mary, you were just so busy all the time and-"

"I know, it was my fault. It was all my fault, and a huge mistake and I...well...we both did a little traveling of course, and we reunited in London when? 1929?"

"30 I think it was."

"Right, well then we had a good time for a few more years and in '36 you...you..."

"I know Mary that time it was _my_ fault. I'm so sorry I ever left you," Bert said quietly.

"I haven't seen you since then Bert. 72 years I haven't seen you," Mary whispered, leaning in to the table.

"I know Mary. I know. What I don't understand is, well, how _am_ I alive?"

"Well, I've really been asking myself that all night. How about this. You tell me why you left, and I'll explain why I _think_ you're sitting here with me right now," Mary said with a twinkle in her eye.

"Sounds fair. First of all, I'm truly sorry if I hurt you by leaving Mary, I really am. I left because, well, you were also so wrapped up in nannying, and I know that's why you made me immortal, and why I agreed, but even though we seemed to have all the time in the world, it never felt like enough time with you. They were always stolen moments, quick bursts of happy times. I wanted something solid, and I got tired of waiting for you to tell me, well, to tell me you loved me. I thought that if you wanted me in your life forever, you'd tell me. But even when I left you at the train station for Paris, you never said anything to stop me. I didn't really plan on leaving. I sort of had this image of you kissing me on the platform, begging me not to go. Instead you just cried and watched me walk out of your life."

"Oh Bert," Mary said, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"I tried to move on, tried to find another woman to fill the hole in my life. Even if I was immortal, I wanted to at least try to find love again. I fought in the war, and spent most of the 50's in America. I came back to London in the 60's, and I actually checked in on you. You were still the same, beautiful and young, taking your young charges to the park for a magical outing-"

"Bert, why didn't you-"

"I figured you would have moved on too. Made some other man immortal and happy alongside you. For all I knew, they could have been your children. So I left you and traveled all over the world for most of the sixties and seventies. I checked in on you again in, oh I think it was '82. You seemed happy as ever, so I moved on and tried to find a woman to love again. Mary, I've been thirty-five since 1914, and all that time, all I did was think of you."

"Why contact me now?" Mary asked breathlessly.

"I decided after one hundred years of loving you, I had to at least give myself the opportunity to finally tell you so," Bert smiled. Suddenly Paulo returned with two giant plates of pasta, and Mary and Bert smiled as he poured them more wine.

"Bert, I didn't know," Mary said, then tasted her pasta. She found that she'd lost her appetite though.

"I should never have left you Mary Poppins."

"Bert, I'm so sorry I never...I thought you were dead. I scanned the newspapers, tried to keep tabs on you, but you had disappeared. I finally gave up. I've been mourning you since that day on the platform..."

"Can you believe us?" Bert laughed. "Too scared to tell the other 'I love you.'"

"I love you Bert. I've loved you since I laid eyes on you," Mary whispered softly.

"I never stopped loving you Mary Poppins," Bert said, and the piano began playing a soft tune. "Shall we dance?" Bert asked as he took Mary by the hand and led her to the dance floor. He held her close, and she rest her head on his shoulder, breathing in his cologne, and the scent of, well, of Bert.

"'As Time Goes By,' how appropriate," Mary smiled. Bert chuckled as he recognized the tune tinkling out of the piano, with a soft assortment of strings to back up the melody.

"You never told me how it's possible that I'm here," Bert said in Mary's ear as they swayed.

"When I first made you immortal, there were certain implications. I knew I loved you, and I was born immortal. My mother died at 26 giving birth to me, and of course, you're aware of my other talents. For some reason I froze at her age, and I've been 26 for quite some time."

"How long have you been 26? I know I've been 35 for some time, but how long were you...around...before we met?"

"Oh I've been 26 since 1905. Don't worry, I wasn't ancient before you came along," Mary laughed. Bert laughed too and parted from her as the music stopped. They both clapped, and the band began playing 'I Can't Give You Anything but Love," as they resumed swaying in the moonlight. "Well, when I decided to make you immortal, I decided you'd only be immortal so long as you loved me. It really began as a test to see if you returned my secret longing. When you didn't age, and confronted me on it, I told you everything, except that little twist I added. That's why I presumed you were dead. When you left me back in '36, I figured you would move on, find another woman, settle down and have a family. When I made you immortal I didn't know if you truly _did_ return the favor, so I wanted you to be happy even if it wasn't with me."

"But you know the only way I could be happy with you was if I never aged, just like you," Bert said.

"That's right. All these years I thought you'd lived a fulfilling and happy life without me."

"I could never get my mind off you Mary."

"I suppose that's why you're still here," she said as she stopped dancing, and she looked into Bert's eyes. "Kiss me," Mary whispered. Bert leaned in slowly as she closed her eyes, and their lips met. It was sweet and tender, though the feeling of long overdue passion lingered at the contact.

"You _aren't_ a figment of my imagination," Mary said after the kiss was over.

"How do you know?" Bert laughed.

"My imagination isn't that amazing," Mary said.

"But you're Mary Poppins. You're practically perfect," Bert smiled, hugging her tightly.

"And even _I_ can't attain perfection like this," she laughed as Bert leaned in for a longer, more passionate kiss.

"I've waited so long to do that," Bert said.

"Much too long. Much too long," Mary said, melting into another kiss. A kiss over one hundred years late. Paulo spotted the couple on the dance floor and laughed quietly to himself.

"All it takes is a little good wine," he chuckled. "A little wine and a lot of love comes out."

**Ahh, all it took was a good bottle of wine. (From a very very handsome man by the name of Bert, may I add). So things begin to clear up. Pictures of their outfits and the glorious car Bert drives will be added to my profile soon! Please review, as always!**

Love, **Elizabeth**


	6. Chapter 5: Home

**A/N: Whoah. Yeah. Long time no write another chapter huh? Incredibly sorry. Please understand that I'm in a new city (which is big for little town girl) and I'm in college now and had to get my classes and other school related things under wrap. My life has settled down now, and I now it took a long time, but this is a big step in my life. Well, with my new enthusiasm for Ashley and Gavin coming to my city in five months, and to stay for three months, has fired me up again to continue this story! Huzzah! Like I said, it isn't summer anymore and I'm often bogged down with college papers, so don't expect as quick posts as before, but rest assured- I'M BACK! Here's another glorious chapter for you, continuing where we left off from our lovely couple's date. Enjoy! I've missed you all!**

Chapter 5: Home 

-dedicated to Ashley Brown and Gavin Lee after ending their run as Mary and Bert on Broadway. If only they could play those roles for forever and continue to inspire me in my everyday life, as well as this story-

The stars were shining brightly now, and after Mary and Bert stopped dancing, they decided to leave the quaint little restaurant, bidding farewell to Paulo, and went for a walk under the brilliant sky. Mary's hand was tenderly held by Bert's, and the two walked slowly down a quiet lane.

"Did you really give up on me Mary?" Bert asked softly, with a slight tone of sorrow in his voice.

"Yes...and no. I suppose if anyone had asked me before tonight if I'd said my silent goodbyes to you, then yes. At least, that's what I'd say. Truly, I don't think I ever wanted to stop believing that some day this exact thing would happen. That somehow, some way, you'd return to me as if nothing ever happened," Mary replied, not looking at Bert as if ashamed by her statement.

"As if Paris never happened?" Bert asked.

"Bert, I'm so sorry," Mary choked out, staring at the ground. Bert stopped walking, and Mary continued looking at the ground. The stars made just enough light for Bert to see the glint of a tear run down Mary's cheek.

"Mary," he whispered softly, grabbing her tenderly by the chin so that she was looking right into his eyes. He wiped away her tear, though Mary's brilliant blue eyes still glistened. "Don't apologize anymore."

"But Bert, it was all my fault to begin with, I-"

"The only reason I ever left you was because I thought you didn't love me. Don't say it's your fault anymore, don't apologize anymore. It's no one's fault. Tonight I found out the greatest knowledge I could ever gain in my time on this Earth, which is plenty, as you know. I found out that the woman of my dreams truly loves me. It may have taken her over a century to tell me, but she did, this very night. Just because she took that long to tell me, doesn't mean I won't love her back for the rest of eternity."

"Oh Bert," Mary whispered, as another tear spilled down her delicate cheek. Suddenly her lips came crashing into his, and she felt herself melt into him. Every fiber of her being felt alive, and she felt as if her heartbeat was one with his. The world had disappeared, and all that remained was her and Bert, sharing their warmth together as their lips found each other again and again.

"We do have the rest of eternity, don't we?" Bert asked, whispering in Mary's ear as he kissed down her neck and along her jawline until finding her lips again.

"I'm practically...mmm...perfect," Mary mumbled between Bert's contact with her, as if that was all that needed to be said. And in fact, it _was_ all that needed to be said. Bert understood completely, and they continued in their embrace. Finally the world came back, and ever practical and punctual, Mary suddenly tore herself from Bert's kiss.

"What time is it?" she asked.

"Why? Got a date?" Bert laughed.

"Oh, you're back to being cheeky with me are you?" Mary smiled. If it was anything she and Bert were good at, it was playful banter. Their whole previous relationship had existed solely on such flirtatious quips.

"It's only 11:30," Bert stated, glancing at his watch. "Do you need to get back?"

"No, I was just curious. The years seemed to have gone by so slowly and this evening has been moving so fast I'm almost dizzy," Mary laughed.

"Can I ask you a favor, since you don't seem to be of the mind to be going home yet?"

"What is that?"

"Well, there's an old past-time you and I had, and I've tried it over the years by myself but it's never been the same without you."

"What Bert?" Mary wondered.

"Well, you need a beautiful starry sky like this for starters. Then you need a beautiful woman by the name of Mary Poppins by your side, and then all that's left is-"

"A rooftop?" Mary asked, suddenly realizing Bert's intent.

"Precisely," Bert smiled.

"Was there one you had in mind?" Mar asked, one of her eyebrow's arching inquisitively.

"If you've notcied, we're nearly back to the Haffers."

"I hadn't," Mary said, suddenly taking in her surroundings. She fetl so disoriented, she couldn't seem to take it all in. "I suppose that'll do just fine," she smiled, "but what about your car?"

"I like this walk. It's nice out. I'll get it later," Bert returned her smile. "This is a quaint little street."

"Mmm. Nice neighborhood. Nice kids."

"Have you ever gone back?" Bert whispered. Mary paused for a moment, immediately understanding Bert's question. She then resumed walking towards the Haffer home with him.

"Many times," Mary whispered back, as they walked hand in hand.

"Me too. Funny you never saw me."

"Did you...did you ever see them?"

"I saw Michael once before he died. Poor kid was so young. It was a strange feeling, seeing him go as just a teen, and there I was, not a day older. After that I dropped in on Jane a few times."

"You did?!" Mary asked, completely taken aback. "But she said-"

"I told her not to mention me. It was painful for her, but she swore she'd never speak of me to you. I dropped in on her on time after she got married," Bert smiled at the thought, "and tried to convince me you were desperately in love with me. She pleaded for nigh on two hours with me," Bert laughed. "She was a great woman, and she kept her word it seems."

"Oh Bert. Why?"

"Remember? I wanted you to be happy. I didn't want to suddenly re-enter your life. You don't know how badly I wanted to hold you at Jane's funeral."

"Bert..." Mary whispered forlornly.

"You were so upset, all in black- I'd never seen you in such a dreary outfit before, not even that day in Paris. I could make out your soft pink cheeks and red lips under that black veil and I knew I wanted nothing more than to step out of the shadows and wipe away your silent tears. But I couldn't Mary. I couldn't, and I'm sorry," Bert said, staring at the ground, ashamed of choking up.

"It's alright Bert, I've seen so many people leave before my eyes while I remained, frozen in time and, well, I've gotten used to it. Jane was especially hard- I love her so much," Mary whispered, sinking into distant memories. She paused a moment, then regained her composure. "But I knew I could never handle a funeral for you. Even though I thought you were dead, I couldn't ever bear to come to terms with it. I guess I never truly believed it."

"I'm sorry Mary, but I'm here now, and I'm never leaving you again. Never," Bert whispered, gently kissing her on the cheek.

"We're here," Mary whispered, looking up at the Haffers home, which was dark except for a small lamp that was on in Mr. and Mrs. Haffer's bedroom.

"Do you need to get your-" Bert stopped short as he noticed Mary rummaging about in her white handbag. After a moment of fussing she exclaimed "Aha!" and pulled out her infamous parrot-headed umbrella.

"You never cease to amaze me," Bert laughed. "No carpetbag anymore?"

"I still have it of course, it's upstairs. Just because I'm over 100 years old doesn't mean my fashion must be," Mary smiled wryly.

"I suppose that's true," Bert laughed.

"_You_ cleaned up awfully nice since the turn of the century, and you have a flashy car to boot," Mary pointed out, her eyes twinkling.

"Also true," Bert laughed, and Mary's musical laugh joined his making a perfect harmony to his joy. They stopped at the exact same time, sighing. Bert pecked her on the cheek, and staying close to her face, he gazed her as if he could never look away, which he truly felt he couldn't.

"Hold on tight," she whispered, grabbing Bert by the waist with her free hand. She felt his arms envelope her, and she stuck out her umbrella. As they began to rise off the ground, Bert grabbed Mary tighter, and a nervous face stared back at her as she looked down from her umbrella to look at him. She laughed another musical laugh, her voice and exhiliration calming Bert, and she smiled widely as they both alighted on the rooftop.

"How do you manage to do that all the time?" Bert wondered aloud.

"Years of practice. I quite enjoy it actually," Mary grinned.

"Hmm," Bert replied, not agreeing completely with the concept of enjoying flight. At least, not to this extent.

"Is that really the first time you've flown with me?" Mary asked.

"I always had my own means of getting on rooftops," Bert smiled.

"I should take you on a real flight somtime- you can see all of London from up there."

"I can see all of London from the rooftops," Bert said, and gulped at the prospect of hanging on to Mary and her umbrella for that long. Mary laughed at his unease with the idea.

"You're right you know, I missed this," she sighed.

"Well, we have an eternity to spend on rooftops together now," Bert said, taking Mary's hand in his as they sat and looked out at the majesty of the night.

"And that's a much better future than I've seen in a long time."

"Mary, can I ask you something? Well, a few somethings really."

"I don't see why not," Mary smiled, her vivid blue eyes twinkling.

"Well, it's been over a century, and you're still a nanny. Aren't you tired of it yet?"

"That's a good question. It's what I'm talented at, and I have a certain affinity for it."

"Yes but, for so long? I mean, I've traveled the country and tried all sorts of profession since I left you in Paris. How can you reamain here with ungrateful children all the time?"

Mary laughed at his statement, but then she grew very serious. Bert noted the change, and suddenly felt ashamed.

"You don't have to tell me, I didn't realize...is this...part of your magic or something?" he whispered.

"Don't be upset, it's probably time you knew. It would have come up eventually I'm sure. In a way, yes, it's due to the magic. Part of what you said anyways. I stay in London because, well, it's my home and I could never part with it. I've never really had the desire to go traipsing off to foreign countries, so that doesn't really have to do with the magic. I was in Paris, wasn't I? As for why I continue to nanny, like I said, I'm very good at what I do but...yes, there's a magical reason too."

"You don't have to talk about it, really, I was just curious."

"I know, but it's important you know this about me. It's one of many reasons I never ran after you in Paris to tell you that I love you."

"What could ever keep you from doing such a thing," Bert asked and squeezed her tighter to his body, hoping to comfort her.

"I...well, it's sort of hard to explain," Mary blushed. "Remember how I said it was like I was frozen in time? That my age froze when I reached my mother's age when she passed away?"

"Right, I understand."

"Well, not only has my age froze...the rest of me...well, I can't have children Bert," Mary whispered and turned away from his face to gaze out at the stars, her cheeks flushed and hot from embarrassment and frustration.

"Oh Mary. I'm so sorry...and...well, that's why you nanny don't you? It all makes sense now."

"I've seen several doctors over the years," she said as she continued to gaze at the sky, "especially in recent years as technology has advanced. It's always the same though, they can't explain it, but somehow I can't conceive children. It's as if my reproductive organs are frozen they said," Mary told Bert with a barking laugh, as if it was a sad joke. "If only they knew..."

"Mary, darling..." Bert said softly, hugging her tighter as she finally dropped her gaze from the stars to look at the man she loved, her cheeks still red with shame and hurt. "How could you ever believe I wouldn't love you simply because you couldn't conceive children? You're ridiculous sometimes Mary Poppins." She let out a noise that seemed to be half of a sob and half of a laugh.

"I don't know Bert, but every time I tried to envision a future with you, it always seemed to have a family, but I knew I could never give you one."

"Did I ever ask you for one? Hardly. I think getting to keep you for all of eternity, for forever and forever, is enough to be asking for don't you?"

"Oh you're right Bert, but, as you can tell, the idea of a family has always nagged at me, and I get that fulfilled by nannying."

"I completely understand darling- you nanny children who don't have parents who care about them. You love them like your own, and put together families- something you can never have yourself to quench that need. You're so selfless it's daunting," Bert laughed.

"Not selfless, just-"

"Practically perfect," Bert chuckled. "I know."

"Bert, there are other reasons I waited so long to tell you my feelings. I...I don't think I could ever give up nannying, and I travel around so much and never keep a place of my own..."

"I said I'd love you for eternity, and I meant it. I have a place in the heart of London, and you say you could never leave. Well, now it's _our _place, and whenever you're not attenting to a broken family, your family is waiting for you at home. Our home."

"Oh Bert that's wonderful but if I'm hardly at...home...then-"

"Stolen moments on rooftops, in the park, on your days off, and chalk pictures for eternity add up to an awful lot of time spent together," Bert whispered wisely.

"I...you would do that? For me?"

"I would do anything for you Mary Poppins. You're never going to die...am I right?" Bert whispered even softer.

"No..."

"And neither am I, so long as I go on loving you as I have this past century?"

"No," she breathed.

"Then we will have all the time in the world to be together. I will follow you wherever you go, and stay with you wherever you choose to remain."

"How did I ever get to be so lucky?"

"I suppose that comes with near perfection."

"I...I have something for you. Seeing as we've pledged eternity to one another...marriage sort of seems silly..."

"Marriage is merely a slip of paper stating two people are together. I think I'd have to agree that we have much more than that," Bert said, beaming.

"Although you plan to stay here in London with me, well, I do move around a lot and will be away from you between my days off and ever since Paris I wished I'd had a way to find you."

"I'll never leave, you can always find me at our home."

"Yes but, well, I'd like you to have this," Mary said as she pulled out a white gold band that had been intricately carved with flowy designs, as if inspired by the wind. The ring shone brilliantly in the starry night. Bert's jaw dropped.

"Mary, I don't know what to say..." Bert gasped.

"Just promise me you'll wear it," she msiled.

"Always," he breathed. "But, then I suppose you need something."

"Well, I took the liberty of getting myself a matching one," Mary smiled as she pulled out another ring and held it in her palm beside Bert's in his palm. Hers was smaller and more feminine, but exactly the same, down to each intricate design on the band.

"I should have done this, not you," Bert chuckled.

"Yes but, like I said, I really wanted a way of finding you again if I should ever lose you. Well, these rings are special in a way."

"Magical special?" Bert asked as he raised one eyebrow.

"Yes, just slip it on, and you'll see," Mary whispered. She and Bert both slid on their rings at the same time, and Bert instantly felt what she meant.

"What is that?"

"Do you feel it?" Mark asked with a smile.

"Yes, but what...is it? It's almost as if there's this tugging coming from your direction."

"Stay there," Mary said, and she got up and walked across the rooftop to the other side. "Notice anything?"

"It...it follows you!"

"Mmm hmm," Mary murmured, returning to her seat on the edge of the roof by Bert. "So long as both you and I are wearing these rings, we can always find each other. Just following that little tug and eventually it leads to me."

"And does yours tug too? Will always be able to find home? To find me?"

"You are home to me, and I'll never lose you again," she said in response.

"You'll never have a reason to," Bert whispered, leaning in closer to her. He could feel her calm breath on his face, could feel the heat from her blushing face.

"I know that Bert. And I'll know that for forever," she said, leaning in to him as well.

"For forever," Bert said.

"For forever," Mary replied. They both leaned in further, and kissed one another under the brilliant starry sky as if time would never stop. And for them, it never would.

**A/N: Well there you go. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I fantasizing about it during my boring classes. Thanks for being patient, I hope this romantic chapter makes up for it! Please read and review!**


	7. Chapter 6: Directions

**A/N: I really wasn't sure how to wrap this up, since the last two chapters were my favorite and pretty much got the point I wanted to get across, well, across. Anyways, I'm sorry this is short, but this should wrap things up nicely for you all!**

Chapter 6: Directions

Mary's smile shone brilliantly in the night, just as the stars above her did as she searched in her handbag for the key to the Haffer's front door. Bert had already said goodnight to her on the rooftops, and despite him leaving, she could feel that slight tug on her heart that indicated he wasn't far off. Mary sighed contently as the door to the house swung upon, knowing that she could never lose the love of her life again.

It was late in the Haffer home, no doubt everyone had gone to bed, and despite all the lights being off, Mary swiftly found her way upstairs without making a sound. She found her way to room, opened the door, and flipped on the light to find an unexpected visitor. Katherine was sprawled out across Mary's bed in an amusing manner, with her face plastered to an old photo album. Mary smiled and stifled a giggle, but the light had already woken Katherine up.

"What? Huh?" she mumbled after peeling her cheek off the photo album, sitting up, and rubbing her eyes to better see what the disturbance was. Mary came over and sat on the bed beside her, she began to smile at Katherine, and then noticed exactly what Katherine had been sleeping on. Mary lost her composure as her jaw dropped, closed, and then looked at Katherine with a look of worry and dismay.

"I...well you see I was..." Katherine began to explain, already realizing the trouble she had gotten herself into by falling asleep. Mary looked across the room to notice that her carpet bag was open in the middle of the floor, and had obviously been meddled with.

"Katherine..." Mary began.

"No, don't say anything. I'm sorry. I never should have been in here, I never should have opened your bag and looked at your stuff. I'm sorry. Goodnight," Katherine said and got up to leave.

"Katherine wait," Mary said with a stern look.

"Yes Mary Poppins?"

"Why were you in here looking at my things?" Mary asked. "Particularly this?" she asked as she pointed at the open photo album that was now on her lap.

"I couldn't sleep, and I had nothing to do, so I came in here to see if maybe you had a picture of the guy you went to go see tonight...the one from the park. The only place to look was your bag, which is an impressive bag I might add, and I ended up finding a whole album. Then I guess I fell asleep."

"I see."

"Please don't be mad. I'm sorry I went through your things. I just...you seemed so in love. The way you talked about him, how excited you were to see him...I've never seen anything like that before. And I wanted to know more," Katherine said with a sad smile.

"Know more about what?" Mary asked, as she ran her finger along the photos Katherine had been looking at. The photos were from her time in France, when she and Bert were happy still, before everything had gone wrong. The photos were obviously dated, and no doubt Katherine had discerned they were from the 30's. The album was full of photographs of Mary and Bert up until 1936, and then only of Mary and some of her charges, as well as a few of Jane and her family over the years. Of course, in every photo Mary looked exactly the same.

"I...I wanted to know more about, how you know," Katherine managed to say.

"Know what?"

"Know...know about love. How you know he's for you, know what to say, what to do, how to act."

"Is that all?"

"Well, I...I'm sorry I looked through your things. You don't have to say anything if you don't want to. I'd never tell anyone, not even David," Katherine said, hushing to a whisper. Mary smiled.

"I can see the burning curiosity in your eyes," Mary laughed quietly. "I'll address that first-"

"Seriously how old _are_ you?" Katherine blurted out. Mary laughed again.

"Haven't I already said so? 26," she smiled.

"Uh huh. And my mom's been 39 for the past five years. So how many '26' birthdays have you had?"

"Plenty."

"Ok you've been celebrating your 26th birthday since..."

"Since about 1905."

"Holy CRAP!" Katherine yelled, forgetting it was late.

"Shhh! And watch your language young lady."

"Dude, you're like, over 100 years old," Katherine whispered in amazement.

"_And_?" Mary said with a stern glare, indicating there were indeed wrong answers to her question.

"You look good," Katherine said honestly, then she began to giggle quietly.

"I've _always _looked good," Mary said, then she, too, began to laugh.

"Are you...immortal?"

"Basically, yes."

"Whoah. Is he too?"

"Who? Oh! Bert. Yes...yes he is," Mary said and smiled.

"Did you two...make up?"

"Yes we did."

"How did you know? How did you know he'd love you again? How'd you know what to say? What to do?"

"This isn't about me anymore, is it?" Mary said raising her eyebrows.

"I just...my mum would never tell me how...I'm just confused," Katherine confessed.

"Most of life is confusing, but only if you make it. It doesn't have to be. I didn't know he'd love me back, and I didn't know what to say or do. I was simply honest."

"Did that work?"

"It's the _only_ way things can work. And if Nick doesn't like the true and honest you, that isn't love. And that isn't what you're after. Bert and I didn't work the first time because we weren't honest. We fixed it all by being honest. Just be honest in the first place Katherine. There is no substitute for being you," Mary smiled.

"I...I don't know what to say. I'm sorry I snooped, and I'm sorry I was mean and rude and a brat. Thank you Mary Poppins."

"Your parents love you Katherine, and David does too. You don't have to pretend around anyone. You don't have to pretend for Nick, or your friends, or especially your family or me."

"I don't pretend to be somebody else around you. You're the only person I don't pretend around."

"You don't anymore, but you did at first. Just remember to always be yourself, right from the start. And for the people you haven't been true to, start."

"You mean mum and dad."

"You could stop hitting David too," Mary laughed. "The two of you are great kids, and your parents will love you no matter what, but they'll pay you more mind if you're honest with them."

"You're going to leave soon, aren't you?"

"In the morning."

"Do you really have to go? I promise to be honest with you," Katherine smiled.

"I know you are Katherine, but you don't need me anymore. Other children do."

"So does Bert," Katherine said, attempting to imitate Mary by raising her eyebrows.

"He'll always be there for me," Mary said with a wink.

"You'll come back right? I mean, I'll never tell anyone but...you can come see me, right?"

"When the wind blows this way again Katherine, you'll be sure to find me."

"Goodnight Mary Poppins, and thank you."

"Goodnight Katherine...and thank _you_," Mary said.

"For what?"

"For helping _me_ to be honest. With myself."

"Just because you're immortal it doesn't mean you don't need a little push in the right direction," Katherine smiled.

"Well thanks to you, I'll always know which direction to go now," Mary said as she twirled the ring on her finger, and the tug at her heart warmed her to the soul, as it would for the rest of eternity.

**The End! Well I hope you enjoyed this random little adventure I took into the nature of an immortal Mary. Now that this story is all wrapped up, I can focus on my real story line of Anything Can Happen and Lace and Diamonds, and I can promise you a third installment! Thanks for reading this fun little adventure/project of mine! Love you all!**


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